


I'll Watch Over You

by Halcyonranhuer



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Kodama!Iwaizumi, Lost Memories, M/M, one-sided master-servant relationship, recollection, youkai AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 18:39:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11950284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halcyonranhuer/pseuds/Halcyonranhuer
Summary: An AU where Iwaizumi is a powerful Youkai, devoted and loyal to his master till the modern days.





	I'll Watch Over You

They don't know. A lot of people don't know about old Japan. It is normal. Times have changed. Some call it enlightenment. A few call it modernism. Others call it revolution. Either way, no one remembers old Japan anymore.

There is once a time when spirits roam the land. It is a time when the barriers between the Spirit World and the Human World are thin. These spirits are called Youkai. Most humans don't see Youkai. Some humans do see them a little. Some do see them very clearly. But all Youkai see Humans very clearly.

* * *

 

"Iwa-chan! Hey, let's study at Mattsun today!" An all too familiar, perhaps annoyingly familiar, figure waves enthusiastically at him from the school gate. There’s no volleyball practice today- examinations begin tomorrow. Iwaizumi only has class clean-up duties and Oikawa opts to wait for him. He fights the urge to shift his gaze to look at the brunette and continues walking past him with an indifferent expression.

"Hmph. You mean going over watch past year volleyball matches. Just so you know, your exams begin tomorrow, Oikawa." He gnashed his teeth as he speaks, like how he usually does when he speaks to Oikawa- like how Iwaizumi usually does when he speaks to Oikawa.

"Ah Iwa-chan, serious as ever.” Oikawa slings an arm around him. Bright caramel brown eyes so sparkly to the point it’s annoying- Iwaizumi tries to think it's annoying. "It’s so unlike you to not care about the inter-high like this."

Yes. He feels like he’s not Iwaizumi these days. Is it about the moon cycle? He thinks he has long lived past that.

"I don’t want any of you to end up failing your papers.” He replies, peeling the other’s arm off his shoulders.

"How mean! I'm not Tobio-Chan." Oikawa makes a face. He’s pouting, Iwaizumi thinks. “Seriously, are you thinking of that? Iwa-chan, we all know who does better in class!”

It’s true. Oikawa is brilliant in his studies. It’s part of what contributed to his popularity at school. The only subject Iwaizumi ever scores better than Oikawa is history.

"You really are a crappy person, Trashy-kawa." He frowns, face contorting, eyebrows furrowing. He hurriedly walks on. 

"Eh Iwa-Chan?" Oikawa jogs behind him.

“Fine. Fine. Let’s go.” He sighs.

Oikawa grins the way he always does when he knows Iwaizumi will eventually give in to his demands. _Iwa-chan may seem brash and crude, but he’s actually a huge softie._ Oikawa mentally chuckles, it’s not as if he can say that out loud.

* * *

 

Youkai live for as long as their spiritual energy can sustain them. If they are lucky, they may become Kami. If not, they just fade back into the earth. Most Youkai just fade away. In the past, there are Youkai who lived for hundreds of years. They all lived through the tales and prayers of humans. But now, humans no longer believe in them. Youkai also no longer have the spiritual energy they once have. They can no longer pass through the human world.

Do Youkai still exist today?

That’s a good question worth pondering.

* * *

 

Night comes quickly in late autumn. Five-thirty and the sky turns a nauseating shade of blue, black and orange. They are going home at five-thirty. By then, they have watched Shiwatori’s inter-high matches, Karasuno's inter-high matches (at Oikawa's insistence) and an episode of a popular drama series.

“See you tomorrow, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa walks through the front gate.

“Bye.” Iwaizumi nods and heads down the path. He tries to not let his gaze linger a second too long.

Iwaizumi's residence is just down a few houses past Oikawa's.

Supposedly.

Oikawa comes over to visit all the time when they were much younger.

Supposedly.

But thing is, the human Iwaizumi Hajime doesn't exist.

He just makes it seems as if he does.

He pauses at the Iwaizumi household, watches as the light in the dining room flickers on. The silhouettes of a woman and a man gathering at the dining table came into view. Then without as much as a blink, ‘Iwaizumi Haijme’ walks on. He knows Oikawa Tooru won’t be visiting tonight.

* * *

 

Exorcists have existed for as long as Youkai. _Not all Youkai are good_ , they claim, _we humans need protection against these unholy creatures_. Actually, Youkai don’t have a concept of good and evil. The exorcists think that Youkai are capable of evil for some reason or another. They control Youkai with names. Some exorcists are more powerful. They give Youkai names.  

Names do a lot of things to the Youkai. They give them more power. They give them a physical existence in the Human world. They also give them a weakness. The only time when you can truly kill a Youkai is when you burn off their names.

The exorcists guard the borders between both worlds intently.

 _Youkai_ , they all said. _You all need to wear this seal in the Human World; if you want to live among humans that is_. The seal makes a Youkai Human. It gives them the flesh and the strength of only a human. You can also kill a Youkai wearing this seal very easily.

* * *

 

Iwaizumi’s at the neighbourhood park. He’s on the bench, staring into the black sky. There’s no moon tonight.

Perhaps it’s too early to see the moon, he thinks.

He then scratches on his neck and a thin ribbon appears. It’s grey. It used to be a darker shade of grey, but it’s been a long and now it's all worn out with the colour faded. A small wooden block hangs where the ends of the string are tied together.

 _Don’t ever remove the seal_. They all tell him.

He snorts. Bullshit. They are all fearful of him. After all, he is not alleged to any master; he pledges to a dead household. No one holds him by any chain. The only master he has is a master who does not know he is a master. He can remove the seal whenever he wants.

He won’t ever remove it in front of Tooru though.

* * *

 

More powerful Youkai are masters of illusions and manipulation, especially Youkai that is borne of the forest. That’s why a lot of kids get who are near the forest often get spirited away. That’s why a lot of people don’t remember their encounters with forest youkai.

There's a story no one knows. It's a story dating back 400 years ago. It’s a story from old Japan, like the many hundreds of folklore from old Japan.  

 _Some things are best to be forgotten_ , some Youkai say. _We don’t always remember anything_. _Time makes us forget_.

He doesn’t always remember everything either, but on some nights, they just come back to him. And he’s then reminded that this 'forgetting' doesn’t ever work for him. He never forgets.

He didn't have a name back then, just woke up on a large rock in the middle of a spring. Didn't know anything, didn't think of anything, didn't feel anything; he just saw everyone near the spring ran away from him. He came to learn from their chatters that they were Youkai. How he understood, he didn't know either. He just did.

He didn't have a gender either. He thought that he was a he and that was it.

One day, he ventured further from the spring and into the forest. He saw Humans for the first time. They were a family, but he didn't know what was a family then. Only something in his empty head clicked and only something in his empty chest throbbed. He picked up a mask the Humans dropped.

Then the shapeless mass took on the form of a human boy unknowingly. (He just wanted to wear the mask).

Youkai didn't have family, he soon learnt. They just bonded together for survival like a pack. But the pack is only for the weak. He easily learnt he was strong. He was the only Youkai in the forest who could grow trees, the only one who could make sweet peaches and the only one who didn't fear the Yuki-Onna.

Everyone feared the Yuki-Onna. The weaker Youkai said among hushed whispers that her breath would kill you instantly. She never killed him though. Not that she didn't try, she just couldn't. It wasn't long when he soon learnt that the Youkai of the forest feared him too.

It was best to be alone. He finally concluded one winter.

He often goes to sleep in his big tree, waking up when Spring comes---

“Hey! Hey!”

 _How nois_ y, he thought one day when he was resting in his big tree. He looked down and saw a boy-child waving enthusiastically at him.

“Hey! Why don't you answer?” 

He turned warily to his left and right. There was no one, so he pointed to himself slowly.

“Yes! Yes! You! Who else am I talking to?” The kid’s voice was shrill and annoying. His golden eyes sparkled a bit too much and his wavy brown hair flounced a little too much. Strange, he wondered. Humans usually did not notice his presence, much less saw him.

“You're always sleeping on this tree.” The boy-child said. “Hey, my neck hurts. Come down and talk to me.”

But he never talked to humans before. Still, he came down anyway. He was very- how should he put it? -curious

“I always see you on this big tree. I'm Tooru! What's your name?” The boy-child known as Tooru looked happier to see him up close.

“Name?” He echoed. What was a name? Youkai didn't have names.

“Yeah!”

“I don't have a name.” He said plainly. Tooru looked confused and stared very earnestly at him. He then felt compelled to give an answer. “They call me Kodama.”

Tooru made a funny face he didn’t quite get. “You are a Kodama. That’s why they call you a Kodama. I mean a name- there’s lots of Kodama out there- you have to make yourself special from them.”

“I am special. I am the strongest Kodama.” He then said very surely. For some reason, Tooru wasn’t smiling like just now.

He soon felt the eyes of other Youkai watching. “You should go.” He told Tooru and disappeared into the shades as quickly as he appeared. It was awkward and swift, but that was their first meeting.

Tooru came for him every day after that. Slowly, he spent more and more time with the strange boy-child. He wondered if Tooru had any Human friends.

“I kept telling them that you were here, but they could never see you sleeping on that tree. They kept telling me all they saw was an old fox mask.”

Fox mask? Were they referring to his mask. He never gave Tooru a name, even when Tooru asked. What was a name anyway? He had things better than a name. Instead, he gave Tooru sweet peaches and showed him different plants in Spring. In summer, he gave Tooru shiny pearls and they fished and swam in the rivers. In Autumn, they played catch under the piles of fallen tree leaves.

Tooru taught him many things as well, like reading and origami. Tooru also brought him for festivals. He always loved festivals. Tooru said that the bright things that disappear in the sky were called ‘Hanabi’. He likes Hanabi a lot.

Now it was Winter, he waited for Tooru again.

“You should stop.” Some weak Youkai said from the shades. “You are getting too attached to the boy-child.”

One said. “He will bring misfortune.”

Another said. “Give him to us.”

The third said. “We can share him.”  

Something snapped in him after the third said that. He killed them quickly.

“Tooru’s not for eating.” He hissed.

In the power struggle, some Youkai resort to eating humans. It’s the survival rule kicking in. They really don’t hold anything against humans. Ghosts are different. Ghosts come from dead Humans unable to reincarnate. They bear grudges. Youkai don’t, they come from natural energy. T

The exorcist don’t try too hard to differentiate them. They are the same in their eyes. They also tell others that they are the same. That is why there is so much confusion among the tales that Humans spin.

* * *

 

Leaves rustling, he suddenly sits up. A dark shadow stirs from a corner and whips out quickly onto the pedestrian crossing. Hajime knows too well where that creature is heading to and with a flick of finger, he undoes his seal and dashes across the rooftops quietly.

He barely makes a hint of noise when he lands on top of the Oikawa household. The shadow rushes to a glass window on the second storey of the house as Hajime swings his hand. A flash of green, a sharp shriek going much unheard and dissipating smoke. Only a rush of wind remains in its wake, beating against the glass window and rattling it hard.

Hajime hears the frantic footsteps up the stairs and he quickly jumps off.

Oikawa slides open the window, curious and frazzled. He’s sure he heard a scream (that honestly sounded nothing human) and the windows rattling as if there is a hurricane outside, when he’s at the kitchen. All he sees however are sharp, long green leaves slowly floating to the ground.

He’s alone at home tonight. Then again, he’s alone at home on most nights. He’s a third year, he should have grown over those paranormal stories by then, no?

Suddenly, he notices rustling at the bushes and he runs down the stairs as fast as he can, skipping two steps at a time. Once reaching the rustling bush and breathing heavily, he slowly parts the leaves away.

“Meow.”

A cat.

A cat. Oikawa chuckles tiredly. He gets all worked up because of a cat. The tension leaves him and he finds himself tumbling on the grass boneless. Oikawa frowns a little, he's sure he felt some kind of animosity directed at him earlier. The cat comes and nuzzles at his palms. There's a strange comfort and he finally smiles. 

* * *

 

Tooru was late today. He wondered why. Tooru was never late. Maybe he got bored of him? Impossible. They were going to build snow rabbits. Then he heard the howls of the chilly winds and remembered Yuki-Onna. Then he thinks of Tooru. He doesn’t know why he quickly jumps down the large tree and starts running up the snow-covered paths to look for Tooru.

Yuki-Onna had Tooru in her sights. Tooru could not run far, he saw. He leapt at the Yuki-Onna and viciously mauled her face. His claws froze quickly, but he did not stop.

No one just jumped on a Yuki-Onna. They’d call you stupid. Yuki-Onna froze everything she touched.

He did not remember anything after that. When he came to, Tooru throws him a tight hug. He knows what a hug is. A hug is when humans put their two hands around someone when they are happy.

“I was so worried!” Tooru bawls. "She just suddenly popped up when I was walking along the way. I had packed mochi for you and now they are all spilt-"

 Tooru stopped his rant abruptly and then looks at him anxiously.“Are you angry? Are you angry, Hajime?”

“Hajime?” He choruses, confused.

“Yeah. That's your name I wanted to give you! You told me you had no name. So I took a looong time to come up with this name for you! It was supposed to be something I want to give you for Christmas, along with your birthday.” Tooru says excitedly. “Your birthday is the day I met you, June 10.”

Birthday. Names. They are all so insignificant. He doesn’t understand why Humans do these things. Yet-

“You don’t like it?” Tooru asks sadly, seeing there is no reply from him.

“Hajime is alright.” He says, feeling a strange feeling welling within his chest- he tries to keep an indifferent expression. Yet, he feels like laughing.

It'd be years later when Tooru becomes an esteemed exorcist in his right. The boy-child actually came from a very prestigious family of exorcists. He’d then find out that giving a Youkai a name means binding them to a lifelong contract to the exorcist, but Hajime didn't mind anyway.

He’d also get cursed by a powerful and spiteful Kami later. Tooru will lose his powers every time he reincarnates. It is very bad actually. An exorcist usually makes himself an enemy against Youkai and ghosts. To not be able to defend himself against them would result in a terrible death and no reincarnation cycle.

A curse will also never fade unless the Kami dies.   

* * *

 

It should be about 400 years till today. It’s 2015. Hajime’s still searching for that accursed Kami. 

It's comfortable being rubbed at the neck.

“You really look like Iwa-chan, what’s with your eyes.” Oikawa picks him up after scratching his nape for a bit. Oikawa's calmed down since then. “Are you a stray kitty?”

Suddenly realising something, Hajime tries to wriggle away.

“Meow.” He tries to growl. _Looks like you’re alright after all, Trashy-kawa._

Oikawa releases his grip to avoid any potential clawing and Hajime hurriedly leaps onto the fence before dashing from the household. He doesn’t see whatever expression Oikawa’s makes. 

Silently, he crawls to a tree and settles in the shadows. Like that, he watches Tooru (today) returning to his room for a last minute revision until he turns off the last of his table lamps.

Everything seems to settle into silence then.

Hajime proceeds to gaze at the stars. He feels that he's rather sentimental tonight. He sees a half-moon hidden behind the clouds. The stars are barely visible from the bright lights of the streetlamps. 

Youkai usually live until their energy is spent. Sometimes a hundred, sometimes five hundred, depending on how much energy they have. A Kodama has a long life, since they can draw energy from the earth. Hajime will live much, much longer since he's the most powerful Kodama this land ever produced. He has gone on for a long time.

Always as Tooru’s best friend.  

It's peaceful again today.

Sighing, he pulls out a crumpled slip.

Better study for that math exam tomorrow.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tooru is the same soul (reincarnated) as Oikawa Tooru. To differentiate them, it's Tooru (past) and Oikawa (today)  
> Similar for Hajime, Iwaizumi is his human persona, Hajime is his Youkai persona.   
> It's mainly a drabble for an AU I thought up of- that's why in a way, it's pretty information heavy.


End file.
